LOUISE BOURGEOIS: COMPLETE BOOKS & PRINTS

Themes:

Nature

Techniques:

Aquatint

Description:

Aquatint, with white and black gouache, and black ink additions

Support:

Smooth, wove board, mounted on smooth, wove board

Dimensions:

plate: 6 13/16 x 4 7/8" (17.3 x 12.4 cm); sheet: 14 13/16 x 11" (37.6 x 27.9 cm)

Signature:

"Louise Bourgeois" lower right margin, pencil.

Publisher:

Osiris, New York

Printer:

Wingate Studio, Hinsdale, NH

Edition:

3

Impression:

Verso: "painted study / 3/3," lower center sheet, pencil, artist's hand.

Edition Information:

The hand additions on this composition vary across the edition. For comparison, see other impressions in the Evolving Composition Diagram below.

In this edition, Bourgeois and the publisher designated each impression as a "painted study." However, throughout the catalogue, the term "study" describes photocopies and tracings that were used in the process of developing a composition.

There are 3 known impressions of the only state, outside the edition.

Background:

In 1989, to help Bourgeois prepare for what would be a major project together, "the puritan," Ben Shiff of Osiris, New York, provided her with test plates on which she made various technical experiments. The editioned composition "Branches" developed from one of these experiments.

Curatorial Remarks:

This plate was printed on smooth, wove board and trimmed within the platemark. It was then mounted a larger sheet of smooth, wove board. The plate dimensions seen above are for the trimmed plate. For full plate dimensions, see the impressions before the edition in the Evolving Composition Diagram below.

MoMA Credit Line:

Gift of the artist

MoMA Accession Number:

703.2006

© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY